Police: Ballard woman clubbed burglar after he leaves beer, pees

A suspected burglar allegedly caught urinating in a Ballard home is in custody Thursday after the resident clubbed him with a pot and held him prisoner with a brass elephant statuette.

According to Seattle police, the drunk 21-year-old left a mostly empty 18 pack of beer in the 59-year-old womanâ€™s washing machine shortly before she bludgeoned the man with a piece of pottery. Police contend the young man also urinated in the basement of the home, located near the intersection of 14th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 50th Street.

Shortly before 4 a.m., a family friend discovered the man urinating in a corner in the basement of the home, police spokesman Jonah Spangenthal-Lee said in a statement. The five remaining cans in an 18 pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer were found in the washing machine.

The family friend dragged the man up to the ground floor of the home, where the homeowner and her son pounced upon him, Spangenthal-Lee continued. During the tussle that followed, the woman bashed the young man in the head with a piece of pottery before calling 911.

She told dispatchers she had armed herself â€świth a brass elephant,â€ť and was holding the suspect at bay.

Arrested at the home, the 21-year-old later told police he thought he was in his own home, according to the police statement. The suspect then complained that heâ€™d injured his ankle during the incident, and was taken to Harborview for treatment.